Expert: Carol Schlitt - 2/3/2007

Question
This really isn't about food but I see you work for the state health dept and I know local health depts check swimming pools. so here goes.
Many people in the pool industry have said that when you smell chlorine in the pool it is because the chlorine level is low and you are actually smelling when the chlorine killed the germs.
Now, I have cleaned a sink and put in different levels of chlorine and the more I add, the stronger the smell.
What is the real scoop?

Answer
Hi Bill,

I do not work for a State Health Department but for the University of Illinois Extension and have nothing to do with inspections of pools.

However, I do training of restaurant workers and I am constantly reminding them that too much chlorine bleach is a safety hazard. I tell them "If you smell it -- you've got too much!!!"

FYI -- in restaurants for sanitization the concentration of bleach to water is 50 ppm for immersion and 100 ppm for spraying and wiping.  50 ppm is roughly 1/4 to 1/2 TB in a gallon of water -- a pretty small amount and not noticable by a strong bleach smell. To sanitize water for drinking, you only need 5-8 drops of bleach per gallon.  So you see, bleach is a good sanitizer in the right concentration. Too much is potentially toxic. So more is not necessarily better.

I hope this helps. If you need more information about pool chlorine concentration and smell, I'd contact a swimming pool and ask to speak to the pool's manager, a pool salesperson or you local health department.

Carol